March 1, 2005

Legislation Will Expand Leave for Troops Adopting Children

Washington, DC – Today, Senator Gordon Smith introduced the Military Adoption Act of 2005, which will grant the primary care giver in military families 21 days of additional leave to be used when their child is adopted. Smith introduced the bill with Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE).

“Troops who choose to adopt children deserve time to begin their most important mission in life,” said Smith. “This bill makes the critical beginning days of an adoption easier for some very courageous men and women in uniform.”

Current Department of Defense policy encourages that leave be granted during an adoption but it is up to the discretion of the individual’s commander. Smith introduced the bill in order to make adoption leave a permanent part of the military benefit package. In military families where a child is born, the primary care giver is allowed to take convalescence leave.

“Speaking as an adoptive parent myself, I can tell you that it’s important to bond with your child and to do everything possible to make sure they come into a happy home,” said Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE). “And speaking as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I want to do everything possible to make the military as family-friendly as it can be in order to keep good personnel on board without compromising military readiness.”

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